Stanford Children’s Health Launches New Center for Pediatric IBD and Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 04/26/2022 - Celiac disease research, diagnosis, support and treatment just got a big shot in the arm with the launch of Stanford's new Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Celiac Disease.

Made possible by a $70 million gift from an anonymous donor, the center aims to make a major contribution to improving the lives of young patients who suffer from inflammatory bowel and celiac disease.

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Because many kids with IBD and celiac disease need comprehensive and dedicated care to get the best results, the new center will unite expert clinicians, researchers, IBD and celiac disease nurses, dietitians, psychologists, and social workers, to offer world-class clinical care for kids with IBD and celiac disease. In addition, the center will provide treatment for Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, indeterminate colitis and very-early-onset IBD.

To meet the wide-ranging care needs of children across the spectrum of IBD and celiac disease severity, the center will work closely with top pediatric specialists in a number of areas, including advanced endoscopy, surgery, pain management, mental health, nutrition and integrative medicine at Stanford.

Researchers and clinicians will work with Stanford Medicine scientists in microbiome science, human immunology, genetics, epithelial biology, biomedical engineering and data science to explore the origins of IBD and celiac disease in children, improve drugs, and help develop new treatments. 

One advantage of this approach is that the "collaboration with expert clinical immunologists and geneticists enables us to provide advanced diagnostic and treatment options to children with IBD and celiac disease disorders that do not respond to standard treatment,” said Center director, Dr. Michael J. Rosen.  Dr. Rosen describes the center as the  “...nation’s destination center for innovation in pediatric IBD and celiac disease care, as well as a major research hub for these conditions,” adding that the center's joint services "will give children from birth to age 22 the best chance to live full and productive lives,” Dr. Rosen said.

In addition to being a pediatric gastroenterologist at Stanford Children’s Health, Dr. Rosen is also the Stanford University Endowed Professor for Pediatric IBD & Celiac Disease. Experts in the center will also work to speed up knowledge of these chronic diseases, collect and share data, and synchronize approaches to improve diagnosis and treatment.

This collaborative approach can help the center to "personalize treatment, curate biospecimens and patient-reported outcomes data for the world’s investigators and develop clear guidance on which drugs are safest and most effective for each child,” adds Dr. Rosen.

For more information, check the website for the Center for Pediatric IBD and Celiac Disease

Read more at Stanford.edu